


All the Stars

by rickyling



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: After the rickyl hug, Gen, Glenn only mentioned (sorta), post mid season finale, vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 05:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8832784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rickyling/pseuds/rickyling
Summary: just a little vent fic i wrote in 10 minutes that was supposed to be happy but took a sad turn.





	

Daryl sleeps soundly for the first time in a very long time that night. It’s not his intention when he lays his head down, he doesn’t even remember falling asleep ― but the light sheets tangled around his feet and the heavy feeling in his head when he wakes up give proof that he did, in fact, sleep. It’s the middle of the night when he lapses out of consciousness, his body not quite accustomed to sleeping into the morning.  Regardless of the ridiculous hour it is, he feels wide awake and refreshed; time is an illusion, anyway. 

He wants a cigarette. 

Daryl glances around the trailer they’ve all stuffed themselves into for the night. Maggie, Sasha, and Enid were all piled on the bed, Tara and Rosita on the couch, Carl, Rick, Michonne, and himself spread out on thin mats on the floor. While his eyes adjust to the darkness, Daryl feels rather than sees the empty spot beside him, the sheets still warm, just recently vacated. Rick, apparently, wasn’t used to sleeping through the night, either. 

Quietly, as not to disturb the sleeping forms around him, Daryl detangles himself from the sheets and stands. His knees crack, sounding way too loud in the small space, but no one moves. He figures he can get out unheard if Rick can; Rick always stepped too heavily and was never aware of all the noise he made. Daryl chuckles under his breath at the thought, stepping over Carl’s outstretched hand and pushing the door open. 

The outside air is cold, rushing into Daryl’s face unexpectedly. He welcomes it, though, not aware of how stuffy the trailer was until this moment. To his annoyance, Rick is nowhere to be found, and the shadows that blanket the Hilltop grounds make it no easier to spot him. Not wanting to risk calling out to him, Daryl starts off to find him. He makes it two steps before a voice from above startles him. 

“Daryl?”

Daryl whips around, metaphorical hackles raised, only to see Rick staring at him with laughter in his eyes from the top of the trailer. 

“Shit, y’trying to give me heart attack?” Daryl whisper-yells back. “How tha hell y’get up there, anyway?”

“There’s a ladder around the side,” Rick answers, not making an effort to hide the chuckle on his tongue. 

Daryl almost makes a snide comment about not wanting to join him, but he knew it would be for naught. They both knew there was absolutely no place he’d rather be in that moment, or for the rest of his life. So, he climbs the ladder without a word and joins Rick seated on the edge, feet dangling over the side. Rick lays back when they settle, hands on his stomach, watching while Daryl joins him stiffly, hands behind his head. 

“I always liked stargazing,” Rick murmurs. “But before there were always too many lights, couldn’t see more than a handful of stars.” Daryl hums thoughtfully. Up here, they could see billions. 

“Where I grew up,” Daryl says. “Y’could see a good amount. S’cuz I didn’t live in no city.”

Rick chuckles. “Yeah, rub it in.” 

Nudging him gently with his shoulder, Daryl teases: “Damn city cop.” Rick shoves back, and Daryl pushes against him, until they fall still, shoulders pressed together. Rick sighs. 

They turn back to the stars. Daryl can tell Rick has something he’s itching to say, and maybe its because they feel so close to the universe right now that he decides to say it: “Which one do you think is Glenn?” 

Daryl sucks in a breath, stomach turning over. Nevertheless, he ponders the question, turns a few answers over on his tongue, and angles his head so it's leaning on Rick’s shoulder. “All of them.” 

Rick presses closer, if it's even possible. “Good answer. I was going to say the brightest one, but I like your answer better.”

Crickets chirping in the background, Daryl doesn’t realize he’s going to sob until it takes hold of his entire body, making him heave and gasp against the forearm he throws across his face. Rick doesn’t do anything to comfort him, which he’ll be thankful for when he gets his mind back. Rick cries too, albeit more quietly, refusing to close his eyes like Daryl did, letting the sky see his tears so that Glenn might, too. 

“I’m sorry,” Daryl chokes out to the stars (the brightest star, all the stars). “I’m so fucking sorry.” His chest hurts, his throat burns, his muscles ache. Now Rick jolts into action, throwing an arm around Daryl’s torso and tugging him close. Daryl buries his face in Rick’s neck, inhales his familiar scent and tries to focus on the feeling of being held. He knows how pathetic he’s acting right now, but somehow it feels bigger than two men breaking down on a roof. Daryl leaves tear stains on Rick’s shirt that soak through to his skin, and Rick clutches Daryl so tightly he’ll find bruises on his side in the morning. 

Rick’s hands find his hair, carding through the long locks gently. “Shhh,” He whispers, lips to Daryl’s forehead. “Shhh, you’re okay.” Another wracking sob claims Daryl’s body and he shakes his head violently. Rick nods in response, soft and gentle as ever. “Yes, shh, we’re okay. We’re okay.”

They stay like this until the morning, until the last star fades, and it’s just the two of them again. 

**Author's Note:**

> i miss glenn, i love rickyl. rickyl misses glenn and love each other.


End file.
